Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for remotely manipulating a patient's spine, and a method for remotely manipulating the patient's spine, for example while performing simultaneous access or multi-access spinal surgery. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method that allows a surgeon to manipulate the patient's spine at a surgical site using an approach, to which the surgeon has remote access, while simultaneously allowing the surgeon to manipulate the patient's spine at the surgical site using another approach, to which the surgeon has direct access.
Description of the Related Art
Manipulation of a patient's spine at a surgical site, from a location to which the surgeon does not have direct access to the surgical site, is known. For example, in some instances a surgeon may need to operate on a patient's spine using, e.g., a posterior approach to the spine, while the surgeon is located at, e.g., an anterior side of the patient, or an anterior approach to the spine. Alternately, the surgeon may need to operate on the patient's spine using, e.g., an anterior approach to the spine while the surgeon is located at, e.g., the posterior side of the patient. Alternately, the surgeon may need to manipulate the posterior side of the patient's spine using a posterior approach, while simultaneously manipulating the anterior side of the spine using an anterior approach, an oblique approach, or a side approach. Existing devices and methods do not allow surgeons to efficiently and safely compress or distract the posterior side of the spine while being located at the anterior side of the spine or at another side of the spine. Existing devices and methods do not allow a surgeon to simultaneously manipulate the anterior side of the spine and the posterior side of the spine. Likewise, existing devices and methods do not allow a surgeon to efficiently and safely manipulate the patient's spine using, e.g., a posterior approach, an anterior approach, a lateral approach, or an oblique approach to the spine, while the surgeon is located proximate another portion of the spine. In addition, existing devices and methods do not allow precise control of vertebral orientation during simultaneous manipulation of both the anterior and posterior aspects of the spine.
An apparatus and a method for remotely manipulating the spine are desirable, which allow for simultaneous manipulation of the anterior and posterior spine, allow for improved control of vertebral orientation, allow for improved distribution of forces being applied to the spine; and allow the surgeon to manipulate the spine without losing focus on his current access point.
The present invention seeks to address these and other shortcomings in the related art.